


Before I Understood This Place

by Rivulet027



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: Attraction, Communication, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Flirting, POV Winter Celchu, Sassy K-2SO (Star Wars), Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27897304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivulet027/pseuds/Rivulet027
Summary: Winter and Cassian met once as children and both grew up to be spies. Their first mission together is going to include dancing and pretending to be a couple. They don't need to pretend they're attracted to one another.
Relationships: Cassian Andor & Bail Organa, Cassian Andor & K-2SO, Cassian Andor/Winter Celchu, Winter Celchu & Bail Organa, Winter Celchu & Leia Organa
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: Star Wars Rare Pairs 2020





	Before I Understood This Place

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pontmercyingtilthecowscomehome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pontmercyingtilthecowscomehome/gifts).



Winter slows her steps. Bail with his longer stride and Leia bouncing along excitedly beside him outpace her quickly. She keeps an careful eye on them, in case they stray too far ahead and she needs to catch up. Mostly though, she tries to take in as many details as possible. She wants to savor her first time on a secret base for a secret Rebellion against the Emperor.

There's a boy in the shadows on top of a stack of crates that tower over her. He's eating a meelirun and watching everything as avidly as she is. Is he a spy? Did she catch a spy? Dark eyes meet hers, they're suspicious, but also sad. Winter frowns up at him.

Bail pauses and turns, then sighs. "Hello Cassian."

The boy grimaces.

"How have you been?" Bail continues.

"I went to class. I turned in my work."

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Bail points out.

There are enough kids on this super secret base to have a school? Why can't she and Leia stay here? Leia bounces over to share an offended look with her.

"They're playing," Cassian says mulishly. "I don't want to play, I'm not a child."

Bail sighs. He looks suddenly very tired. "No, you haven't been a child for a very long time, but how about we keep that option open for awhile longer though, in case you change your mind?"

Cassian lowers his meelirun as he tilts his head, considering. Slowly he asks, "Will it make me a better spy?"

Bail steps closer to the stack. "I don't know. I do think you deserve to have your youth, as much of it as you can hold onto."

Oh. Winter wonders if that's why Bail's been reluctant to bring her and Leia here, if he's trying to protect them from growing up too quickly.

"You want me to go play?” Cassian asks flatly. “With other children?"

For a moment Winter thinks Cassian is going to admit that he doesn't know how. Leia wrinkles her nose and starts backing up, likely to get a better view of Cassian, that or she's getting herself a running head start before she tries to climb up the boxes to punch him. Leia doesn't really put up with anyone being rude to her dad. Winter turns to study her. Leia's face is curious, not full of righteous fury. Cassian will possibly escape punching a little longer. 

"What about Milo Graf? You two are about the same age," Bail suggests.

"He's a year older! He's a whole teenager! He acts like he's ten! He's got a monkey lizard! You can't be a spy with a monkey lizard giving away your location!"

"Ah," Bail smiles in understanding. "His parents are trying to parent you again, aren't they? I can try talking to them, if you like?"

Cassian deflates. He brings his meelirun back near his mouth, then shakes his head. His words are soft, barely there. Winter goes on her toes, staining to hear. "No. Sometimes they feed me and they don't expect anything of me. They just want me to have food."

Bail steps closer to the boxes. He says something Winter can't quite catch. Cassian shakes his head, answers, and then shoves the fruit back in his mouth. Leia darts forward, pressing close to her father. Bail smiles down at her fondly. She opens her bag and pulls out a piece of candy offering it to her father. Leia always packs candy and snacks. Bail offers the candy to Cassian. He looks from the candy to Bail, then back to the candy before he takes it carefully. Then he peers over the boxes at Leia. "Thank you."

Leia grins. “You’re welcome.”

Cassian’s gaze shifts to her. Winter waves. He sits back and takes another bite of his fruit. 

Bail says, "We have to be on our way Cassian, but do let me know if you need anything."

Cassian shakes his head, swallows, and responds, "I don't."

Winter waves goodbye as they head to Bail's meeting. It's a while before she can slip away. Leia scoots over so it isn't as easy to see she's left. Winter smiles to herself, usually she's the one doing that so Leia can sneak off and have an adventure. She finds Cassian climbing down from his perch.

When his feet touch the floor she asks, "Are you really a spy?"

"Not yet," he admits.

She tilts her head and looks up at him, studying him silently.

He studies her back quietly for a moment, then he asks, “Do you realize you’re a decoy?”

Winter smiles slowly. Most people don’t recognize this. Most people can’t see it. There’s a reason she tries to act like a princess always: a few moments of confusion may save Leia’s life. She nods. She likes studying different royal cultures and there are a lot of resources at the palace. “On some worlds decoys are a long-standing royal tradition.”

“You don’t sound like a kid,” Cassian points out.

“I’m not meant to,” Winter manages. She wants to giggle after.

“I still sound like a kid a lot of the time,” Cassian complains.

“If you’re a spy sometimes you have to,” Winter reasons.

Cassian’s smile is a gradual thing, that starts with a longing in his eyes and the corners of his mouth turning upwards. It spreads slowly, like light traveling through him, until he’s beaming at her. She lets herself beam back. Then, still forcing herself to be deliberate she asks, “How tall are you?”

He answers, then answers her next few measurement questions to the best of his ability. She tells him to follow her before she weaves through the corridors to the conference room. The meeting, which is more of a mission planning session, is winding down so Winter sits down next to Leia and then indicates the seat next to her. Cassian sits, keeping his shoulders back and his posture confident as his gaze darts around the room quickly, taking everything in. Winter tries not to feel smug. Leia leans around her to study Cassian. Bail glances over as the meeting finishes. Then Ahsoka, whose mission it is, who’d been running the meeting steps closer. 

“Good thought, Winter,” Ahsoka acknowledges as she touches her datapad. She looks at Cassian. “It’s Andor, right?”

“It is,” Cassian nods.

“You’re going to put him on the mission roster, aren’t you?” Bail attempts to clarify. There’s resignation in his tone.

“I’d want to go over a few skills with him first,” Ahsoka decides. She gives Cassian a smile as she continues, “His range scores are good, but I’m not putting a blaster in his hands till I see for myself. He’d fit in the vent though and that’d give us an easier entrance. We could modify this into a stealth mission and there would likely be less casualties.” 

“Would you be interested in joining the mission Cassian?” Bail asks.

“Yes,” Cassian says automatically. “Please.”

Bail nods at both Cassian and Ahsoka, before he tells both Winter and Leia it’s time to see the rest of the base. Winter doesn’t see Cassian again until she’s an adult. There’s a datacard in a vault that Winter’s seen before. There are advantages to being seen as part of the aristocracy. Cassian is being assigned to get her in and out. There’s a party at the castle the vaults in. They have invitations. It will just be a matter of getting reacquainted, making sure they have the appropriate finerary that will hide their weapons and tools, while making sure they can dance together.

She’s not sure how well Cassian will remember her. For most people memories are malleable and fade with time. If something isn’t important it can be forgotten. Of course, it’s never been that way for Winter. Clarity of memory, down to the details that most would consider unimportant is her mainstay. She’s the person who remembers what other people are prone to forget. 

He greets her and shakes her hand. They go over the details with Draven. Cassian’s Imperial droid looms in the corner of Draven’s office, offering occasional commentary. Cassian is a professional throughout. Winter believes she is coming across professionally as well, but internally she’s berating herself for not attempting to find a holo of Cassian, though holos of spies are rare. He’s grown handsome since she last saw him. She’s not supposed to find the coworker she’s doing her first fake date spy mission with attractive!

Draven steps out for a moment and Cassian’s professional mask cracks. He grins at her. It’s the same gradual joy as before, that starts in his eyes and moves through the rest of him.

“I know your reputation, but it’s been so long. Do you remember me?” he asks.

“Yes, I remember you,” she answers. 

He grins. Winter feels herself blush. His grin widens. Winter finds her gaze straying to his lips. She forces herself to look back up into his eyes. He wets his lips.

“You do realize you don’t have to pretend to be attracted to each other till you’re at the party, don’t you?” K-2SO comments.

“Practice makes perfect,” Winter tells him.

“Yes,” Cassian agrees. “Would you like to practice dancing after this?”

Winter reaches out, threads their fingers together and squeezes his hands. “I think that’s an excellent idea.”

He squeezes her hand back, glancing at her with a smile that reaches his eyes.

“This doesn’t appear to be practice,” K-2SO interjects. “Your heart rates are…”

They drop each other's hands as the door opens again and Draven steps back in. The meeting finishes quickly after that. They inquire about an empty room to practice dancing in. K-2SO helps them move tables and chairs until they have a clear area they can work in and then he announces, “I’m not watching this. Chopper’s here. I’m going to go complain to him about you.”

“You do that,” Cassian advises.

"You're very blunt," Winter compliments. "It's pleasant."

"One of us has to be," K-2SO says before he tells Cassian to find him when he's done.

"Do not get into mischief with Chopper," Cassian instructs. 

Winter laughs. "You've met Chopper, right?"

"Worse," Cassian tells her. "I've seen him and Kaytoo together. I don’t know how AP-5 puts up with them."

"Mischief?" Winter asks, wondering if she should ask for the story. Perhaps after their mission, they have a limited window to get ready for it.

"Mayhem," Cassian confirms.

Winter shakes her heads as she settles close to him. Together they research which dances they'll be expected to know and which music is popular. There’s only one dance Cassian isn’t familiar with.

“Where would you prefer to start?” he asks.

Winter considers this for a moment. “Let’s start with what you know, see if there is anything either of us need to brush up on and then if we have time we’ll work on the one you don’t. Better to have to bow out of one, then not be prepared for the rest.”

Cassian nods. “That seems reasonable.” 

Winter compiles a list of the songs they’ll need, starts the first one, then steps close to Cassian. 

“This hand goes here,” Cassian says as he places a hand at her waist and gives her a small smile. “And then we hold hands like this.”

Winter smiles back as she settles her palm into his and steps a bit closer. Their eyes meet. Had his eyes always been this dark and emotive? . 

“This is horribly cliche,” she complains.

His lips quirk upwards. “I don’t think Kaytoo even believed the lie that we’re only pretending.”

She wants to touch his lips, run her fingers across them and then kiss him. She reminds herself that she knows how to be professional, that she’s been on multiple missions before.

He closes his eyes and breaths out slowly, then leans in to press his forehead against her. He opens his eyes. Their gazes meet again. The music is still playing and they’re just standing here looking at each other.

“The way I see it we have two options,” Winter manages.

“Only two?”

“I’m sure there are more than two,” she concedes. “However, I think we can either continue being cliche while trying to be professional or we can give ourselves a moment to be unprofessional, agree that this is cliche, but it’s something that we’re both interested in, and then complete the mission.”

“Option one would leave us both distracted and option two has us acknowledging the distraction, but…” Cassian trails off as he lets go of her and steps back. He turns, then locks the door. As he turns back towards her she steps towards him. As he leans in to kiss her she wraps her arms around him and brings him closer.


End file.
